Chapter 2

Drake’s POV

    I bloody well heard what the fuck she said. That little minx isn’t fooling me, she may disguise herself, but the mate bond will give her away every time. I smirk to myself right before I grab her wrist “What was that?” I stare at her intensely. The scent of her arousal has my wolf ready to pounce on her and take her right here. She has no idea how much restraint I am showing with her.

   Her explanation is bullshit, but I’ll let her think we are fooled “Chocolate all around!” I say and don’t miss the fresh scent of her deepening arousal. She may not realize it yet, but the bond is working it’s magic. Just the sound of my voice gets her wet and I want a taste. She retreats to the back and I hear her give our order to the cook then the back door opens and closes. I excuse myself for a cigarette and walk down the alley. My little nymph is leaned against the wall, eyes closed and breathing heavily, I light up my smoke and approach her silently, watching her as I take a drag, inhaling and exhaling slowly as I take in the view of her ample bosom heaving. The scent of her arousal as she looks up and sees me is dizzying. “Zelle is it? I am sure that I have seen you before. You smell like a wintertail wolf but I haven’t seen you at mandatory training or pack runs. You live with humans, not the pack but don’t smell like a rogue.”  I take her in with my eyes, everything from her shapely legs and thighs to her small waist and ample bosom, heer full lips and why the fuck she is hiding those gorgeous blue eyes..oh, yeah..she’s trying to hide from me. “Now, don’t lie to me, Azalea. I fucking know it’s you” I rasp…her arousal has me fighting back the urge to make her mine.

    “Just leave me alone! If you can assure me that Zeke and Silas are safe and happy I will gladly go far away from the territory and be out of your way” she grits with a show of bravado despite the growing wetness in her panties that I can smell clearly.

    “Now, beautiful, why would I do that? You are the rightful fucking heir. You should lead your people” I smirk.

   “I don’t know what game you are at but I am no man’s pawn!” she spits with fiery conviction. “You won’t step down and I will never stand at your side! Somewhere I have a fated mate and I intend to find them!” I’m right in front of you, my little nymph. She did misread me, though. I want her to lead, not me. 

    “Oh,Kitten ! So  feisty! I can smell your delicious arousal. You do want me” I cock my head and toss my cigarette aside. I can’t take this much longer. I need her to taste her and feel her…I crash my lips into hers, pushing her against the wall. I don’t think she realizes but she is kissing me back, and I deepen the kiss pouring all the passion with which I want her into it. I pull back, stopping myself. “You’ll come to me sooner or later, princess” I purr against her ear before walking back down the alley. My heart is racing and my cock is hard. One taste of her will never be enough. I sigh deeply before walking back into the diner thankful for the length of my shirt covering my hardon.

    I can’t look at her the rest of the time we are in the diner, her scent is enough to drive me insane, but looking at her is even harder. When Zeke asks her for a hug, it is a sweet gesture, of course she reminds him of his sister, she is his sister. He caught my scent on her and looks at me over her shoulder, my eye catches his, but I also scent her tears as I spot the movement of her hand wiping away a tear. If the bond with me doesn’t bring her back to the pack her love for her brothers will. I can work with that. 

     After she rushes into the back area hiding the tears that I know she is crying we pay the bill and I use a little mind trick to get her address from the manager. I leave a generous tip, but not exorbitant. 

    Zeke wants a new C.D. for his birthday and I know just where to get it. While walking down Newbury Street I ask him “If you could get your sister a gift to show how much you miss her what would it be?” 

    “I don’t know, Drake. There really aren’t any things that can truly express it” he sighs. I know what he means but after a moment “maybe a c.d. of songs that remind me of her, a custom mix or something, but it would have to be ultra personal. Like my notebook full of poetry or old photos of us together, the kinds of things I treasure just like I treasure her.” That is why I like this kid so much, he’s thoughtful, sentimental and not very materialistic. The opposite of his father.

    I knew I shouldn't have kissed her, now I crave more. I am drooling as we pass a gourmet shop with chocolate covered strawberries. That’s what she tastes like…fresh, ripe strawberries dipped in chocolate. I buy a couple dozen and get some cocked eyebrows from the guys “What? I fucking love these, is there a problem with that?” 

   “Azalea always loved them, she even taught herself how to make them  when we were kids” Zeke says softly, a sad smile crossing his lips.

   “You and I can share them, kid” I swallow the lump in my throat. I hate seeing the kid so sad, especially when his sister is so close. I want her back at the pack for both of us. The kid needs his sister and I need my mate. The pack needs it’s alpha. They call me Alpha and I fulfill the role, but never officially took the Alpha Oath, that is her right and if she refuses then Zeke can take it on. He doesn’t think that he is alpha material, but he is. I pledged myself to him and the pack and promised to act as alpha until her return. 

*********

   The packhouse is jammed with revelers as the birthday celebration reaches full swing. Someone puts the music on and shouts “Dance Party!” I take the distraction as a good time to slip out and back to the city. I have a package to deliver. I wrote her a brief letter about her brother and tied it around one of his books of poems, an older one that features primarily poems about his family and in particular missing his sister. I tucked a bookmark into one that features a line about the gaping hole left in his heart where his big sister belongs. Around the notebook I tied a string with their parent’s wedding bands and mother’s engagement ring. Zeke told me to keep those before we burned their bodies.

   Her neighborhood is a hotbed of vampire activity. I am kind of surprised that a werewolf can live in such a place. Most of the time werewolves and vampires have bitter rivalries. Unless, like my parents, they fall in love. Not all mated pairs do actually love one another. The bond may bring them together, but love is something the bond can’t force, it has to happen on its own. Which is why it is vital that she gets to know me. I don’t want her to be with me just because of the bond, I want her to want me, to love me for me, not the bond, not my reputation. 

    Her building houses mostly humans. The sole vampire greets me in the hallway right by her door “To what do I owe the pleasure of a visit from the Hybrid Alpha? You wouldn’t be here to harm Miss Zelle, would you?”

     “No, quite the contrary! I am her mate, I want her to come back to her pak, take her rightful place and lead her people” I run a hand over my face, maybe this was stupid. “Her brother misses her and I need her where I can keep her safe. Can I trust you to give this to her, keep it safe and let her know that it is for her eyes only?”

    “Yes, she is a friend, or so I would like to think. She is always kind at the very least, unlike that one human boy who lives with her, Toni. The other two are ok” he has a flat tone that is hard to interpret, but I felt a wave of anger and jealousy when he mentioned Toni. 

   “Please guard this well and give it to her for me” I say before swiftly exiting the premises. 

   A vampire on the corner stops me “You better not be here for trouble! Hybrid Alpha or not you can’t throw your weight around here, so if you are going to harass the she-wolf you better think twice!” 

   “No bad intentions, here. Just delivering a gift from her brother” I say before hopping into my SUV.

    The vampire laughs “The Hybrid Alpha is a messenger boy! I highly doubt that, but be warned!”

    That is highly unusual. Vampires protecting an alpha wolf from her own kind, from the presumed alpha of her pack. I wonder what that is about and just before closing my door my wolf hearing picks up a whisper “The king just informed me that his son was not with the pack in …” I wished I could have lingered before shutting the door, but it would have become overly obvious. There is a vampire king, I hadn’t known that. What does he have to do with any of this?

***************

   The party is over and Zeke and I are sitting on his bed enjoying chocolate covered strawberries. I try not to look at him and really want to delight in these alone after just one bite, because the taste reminds me of her and her plush lips against mine. 

   “That girl in the diner, the one that reminded me of Azalea. When I hugged her, she smelled like you” his eyes are on me trying to read my expression.

    I scrub my hand down my face “Yeah, I ran into her when I was out for my smoke. She’s cute so I approached her. Her body wanted me, but she is strong willed so I let her be.”

   “Can I tell you something I have only told Azalea until now? I want her back, but if she doesn’t come back you need to know why I can’t be Alpha” he looks distraught. 

    “She really reminded you of your sister, huh kid?” I sigh. I hate not telling him the truth, that it actually was her and that she is my mate.

    “Yeah” he sighs, again. “I’m gay. Azalea knew. I have known since, well, forever pretty much. My father would have tried to beat it out of me to force me to be straight, but Azalea and I kept secrets from him and that was one.” I know why he feels safe telling me. A little over a year ago Ian and Silas went back to England and they sent Cole to help in Ian’s stead, he found his mate last month when Azalea’s friend Karl turned eighteen. I had been accepting, even helping Cole come to terms with the fact that his mate was a guy. The man had always been closeted an hoping he’d be mated to a woman as a means of suppressing his lust for men. Come to think of something, why am I able to sense the bond to Azalea before she turns eighteen. That shouldn’t be possible, how have I not thought of that these last two years?